Continuous mining machine



Dec. 6, 1966 .1. GONSKI CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTOR. JOSEPH GO/VSK/ Filed Jan. 27, 1964 Dec. 6, 1966 J. GONSKIcommuous MINING MACHINE Filed Jan. 27, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.JOSEPH GO/VSK/ Ji 3,290,094 Patented Dec. 6, 1966 United States Patent()fiflce This invention relates to improvements in continuous miningmachines of the rotary boring type having a plunality of rotary boringheads advanced into the working face of a mine by the traction devicessupporting the machine.

A principal object of the invention is to improve upon the multiplerotary boring head continuous mining machines heretofore in use byproviding a novel form of mining head ararngement, so. arrangedthat allof the mining heads may rotate to feed material toward the center oft-hemachine, without interfering with each other.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved form ofcontinuous mining machine arranged with a view toward more efiic-ientloading and maneuverability of the machine, by providing two innerboring heads and two outer boring heads on opposite sides of the innerboring heads, in which the outer boring heads project laterally beyondopposite sides of the machine and are so arranged with respect to theinner boring heads, as toenable the outer boring heads to be used aspivots for the machine, when mining breakthroughs, butt entries and thelike, and to eliminate side cutting by the inner boring I heads.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved form ofcontinuous mining'machine of the multiple boring type having at leastfour boring heads extending across the front of the machine, in whichthe outermost boring heads are spaced ahead of the innermost boringheads to thereby make it possible for all of the boring heads to rotatein directions to feed the mined material along the floor toward thecenter of the machine.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedform of continuous mining machine having four boring heads, and by soarranging the boring heads as to accommodate the use of non-eccentricboring heads all of which bore and progress the material along thefloor. toward the center of'the machine, by positioning the outermostheads in front of the innermost boring heads.

These androther objects of the invention will appear from time to timeas the following specification proceeds and with reference to theaccompanying drawings where- FIGURE 1. is atop plan View of a continuousmining machine constructed in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partial fragmentry longitudinal sectional view takenthrough the forward end portion of the machine shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic end view, illustrating the cutting pathsanddirections of rotation of the mining heads.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, I haveshown in FIGURES 1 and 2, a continuous mining m-achine of the rotaryboring type having a main frame supported on laterally spaced continuoustraction tread, devices 11, which serve to tram the machine from workingplace to working place and to feed .zontal plane.

advance boring heads 12, 12 and trailing boring heads 13, 13 int-o theworking face of a mine. The continuous traction tread devices 11 areof-a conventional form and are driven from individual motors and speedreducers (not shown), in a manner well known to those skilled in theart, so not herein shown or described further.

The mining machine also includes a cutter frame structure 15 supported.on and extending ahead of the main frame 10. The cutter frame structure15 is supported on the main frame 10, by the usual hydraulic elevatingjacks 16, 16, and is tilted about an axis extending transversely of themain frame by hydraulic jacks 17, 17 transversely pivoted to the mainframe and pivotally connected with arms 18, 18 secured to and extendingrearwardly of the cutter frame structure 15, along opposite sides of aconveyor 19.

The conveyor 19 extends along the main frame 10 from a position adjacentthe ground in advance of the forward end of the main frame, in anupwardly inclined direction and .over the top of the main frame in agenerally hori- The conveyor 19 extends beneath and along a throat 20,formed in the underside of the cutter frame structure 15, between thetrailing boring heads 13, 13. The conveyor 19 is shown as being aconventional form of single strand endless chain and flight convey-or ofa laterally flexible type, and has a laterally flexible rear end portion21, moved from side to side to discharge the mined material to eitherside of the longitudinal center line of the machine by operation of theusual hydraulic jacks 23, 23, pivotally connected between opposite sidesof a widened portion 24 of the bottom plate of the conveyor 19, andopposite sides of the laterally swingable discharge section of theconveyor.

An upper trimmer bar 25 is mounted on the c utter frame structure 15 inadvance of the forward end thereof, on hydraulic jacks 26, mounted onthe front face of the cutter frame structure 15 and serving to supportand .vertically adjust said trimmer bar with respect to said cutterframe structure, and to hold said trimmer bar in a selected position.The lower trimmer bar 27 extends across the front of the conveyor 19 andis mounted on and extends forwardly of a frame 28 for the conveyor. Thetrimmer bar 27 is vertically adjusted to clear the ground to accommodatethe machine to be tramrned from working place to working place by theadjusting jacks for the front end portion of the conveyor (not shown). Atrimmer chain 29 is trained along the lower trimmer bar 27 aroundtrimmer sprockets (not shown) at opposite ends of said trimmer bar. Onerun of the trimmer chain 29 is trained along a suitable tension idler(not shown) and around a corner sprocket 30 at one end of the trimmerbar 25 and along said trimmer bar to and around a similar cornersprocket 30 at the opposite end of said trimmer bar and angularlydownwardly and inwardly therefrom around a drive, sprocket 31 on a driveshaft 33 for an inner trailing .boring arm 13. The trimmer bar and chainconstruction is of a conventional form so need not herein be shown ordescribed further.

The outer boring heads 12 are supported on and driven from the usualhollow shafts 35 extending within the cutter frame 15 and rotatablysupported in hubs 36 projecting forwardly of said cutter frame, adjacentopposite sides thereof. The inner boring heads 13 are mounted on androtatably driven by similar hollow shafts 33 extending within the cutterframe structure 15 and rotatably journalled in hubs 37 extendingforwardly of said cutter frame structure on opposite sides of the throat20. The hollow shafts 33, 33 and 35, 35 are rotatably driven by motors39, 39 secured to and extending rearwardly of the cutter frame structure15 at opposite sides of the conveyor 19. The motors 39, 39 in turn drivea conventional gear train 40 having driving connection with the hollowshafts 33, 33 and 35, 35 for driving said hollow shafts to rotate theboring heads supported thereon, at the same rates of speed in directionsto progress the mined coal along the ground toward the longitudinalcenter of the machine.

Each boring head 12 is shown in FIGURE 1 as having a diametricallyextending boring arm 41, extending equal distances from the axis ofrotation of the shaft 35 and shown as having telescopic arms 43, 43telescopically adjustably mounted therein for varying the cuttingdiameter of the boring head. The telescopic arms 43, 43 are held infixed relation with respect to the boring arm 41 and are extensibly andretractibly moved with respect to said boring arm 41 by a conventionalform of adjusting mechanism, which is no part of the present inventionso need not herein be shown or described.

Extending in front of the boring arm 41 about the axis of rotationthereof is a pilot cutter support 44 having cutter bits 45 projectingforwardly therefrom, for cutting an annular kerf adjacent the center ofthe machine. Spaced radially outwardly of the cutter support 44 andcutter bits 45 are cutter supports 46 having cutter bits 47 mountedtherein and projecting forwardly therefrom.

The telescopic arms 43 each have an inner cutter support 49 havingcutter bits 50 projecting forwardly therefrom and a radially outwardlyspaced cutter support 51 having cutter bits 53 projecting forwardlytherefrom.

The telescopic arms 43, 43 also have impeller plates 55, 55 mountedthereon and extending generally radially therealong in rearwardly spacedrelation with respect to the cutter supports 49 and 51. The impellerplates 55 are on the leading sides of the telescopic arms 43, 43 and areinclined with respect to the plane of the forward faces of the cuttersupports, to impel the mined material inwardly along the ground towardthe center of the machine, to be picked up by the boring heads '13, 13and progressed in front of the conveyor 19, to be picked up by saidconveyor as the machine advances into the work ing face.

The boring heads 13, 13 are like the boring heads 12, 12 and have acentral pilot cutter 56, radially outwardly spaced cutters 57, 58 and59, togetherwith impeller plates 60, 60 for impelling the mined materialalong the ground rearwardly toward the center of the machine, to bepicked up by the conveyor 19.

Angular deflector or cuttings confining plates 61, 61 extend frompositions adjacent the outer margins of the outer boring heads 12, 12,angularly inwardly toward the receiving end of the conveyor 19, andterminate at the receiving end of the conveyor to collect any mined,rnaterial passing backwardly of the'boring heads 12, 12

and 13, 13, and confine the material to converge toward the conveyor 19to be picked up thereby.

The operation of mining with a machine of the present invention is amore or less conventional mining operation, that is, as the boring heads12, 12 and 13, 13 are rotatably driven they are advanced into theworking face by the laterally spaced continuous traction tread devices11, 11, which feed the boring heads at a low feeding speed. As theboring heads 12, 12 are advanced into the working face they continuallyprogress the material toward the longitudinal center of the machine tobe further progressed toward the center of the machine by the boringheads 13, 13 coming into cuttaing engagement with the face after theboring heads 12, 12 have been sumped into the face a substantialdistance.

One advantage of the present machine in addition to the advantage ofbeing able to rotate all of the boring 4- heads to feed the minedmaterial along the ground toward the center of the machine is that incontinuous boring types of mining operations, the machines frequentlyare used to drive breakthroughs or cross or butt entries at angles tothe main entry or working place. In driving such entries, the machineadvances into the face at an angle. During this advance the nearestouter boring head may come into cutting engagement with the face. Theouter boring head thus actsv as a fulcrum point for the machine and themachine may be turned about said outer boring head by the cooperation ofthe continuous traction tread devices 11, until the machine is at theproper boring angle with respect to the working face.

This is a marked improvement in the continuous mining of relatively wideplaces, in that with conventional continuous mining machines having morethan two boring heads with center boring heads in advance of the outerboring heads, the problem of steering the machine is a diflicult one,and the maneuverability of the machine to position it at an angle withrespect to the main entry or Working place is a gradual and slowoperation, particularly due to side cutting of the center boring heads,when positioning the machine by fulcruming the machine about the outerboring heads. This side cutting has been eliminated by the boring headarrangement of the present invention with the resultant speeding up ofthe mining operation and reduction in power consumption and wear of theboring heads.

While I have herein shown and described one form of which the inventionmay be embodied, it may readily be understood that various variationsand modifications in the invention may be attained without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a continuous mining machine,

a main frame,

a cutter frame structure mounted on said main frame,

a conveyor extending along said main frame from a position adjacent theground in advance of the forward end of said main frame,

upper and lower trimmer bars mounted on said cutter frame and havingacutter chain movable therealong and guiding said cutter chain to cutalong the fioor and roof of a mine,

two laterally spaced rotary boring heads mounted on said cutter frame inadvance of said trimmer bars and on opposite sides of the conveyor andhaving cutter supports thereon and projecting forwardly therefrom, andcarrying cutter bits for cutting from the roof to the floor of a mine,

a separate rotary boring head on each outer side of said first mentionedboring heads and spaced forwardly therefrom substantial distances inadvance of the cutting paths of the cutter bits carried by said firstmentioned boring heads and including a shaft having a diametral armextending therefrom having cutter bits carried thereby and cutting inpaths overlapped by the cutting paths of said first mentioned boringheads,

cuttings confining means extending from said last mentioned boring headsto said conveyor,

and all of said boring heads rotating in directions to progress themined material along the floor toward the center of the machine to beconfined by said cuttings confining means to be loaded onto saidconveyor.

2. A continuous mining machine in accordance with claim 1,

wherein said boring arms have impeller plates on the sides thereof whichare the leading sides thereof as said boring heads rotate to effect amining operation,

wherein the impeller plates are spaced rearwardly of the cutter bits forimpelling the mined mtaerialtoward the center of the machine, f

and wherein the cuttings confining means comprises cuttings confiningplates extending fromthe outer- 5 6 most of said boring heads topositions adjacent the 2,796,244 6/1957 Gonski 299-59 X receiving end ofthe conveyor. 7 3,096,082 7/1963 Long 299-59 X References Cited by theExaminer FOREIGN PATENTS 4 4/1956 y r et 1- ERNEST R. PURSER, PrimaryExaminer.

2,743,092 4/1956 Funk 29959 X

1. IN A CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE, A MAIN FRAME, A CUTTER FRAMESTRUCTURE MOUNTED ON SAID MAIN FRAME, A CONVEYOR EXTENDING ALONG SAIDMAIN FRAME FROM A POSITION ADJACENT THE GROUND IN ADVANCE OF THE FORWARDEND OF SAID MAIN FRAME, UPPER AND LOWER TRIMMER BARS MOUNTED ON SAIDCUTTER FRAME AND HAVING A CUTTER CHAIN MOVABLE THEREALONG AND GUIDINGSAID CUTTER CHAIN TO CUT ALONG THE FLOOR AND ROOF OF A MINE. TWOLATERALLY SPACED ROTARY BORING BEADS MOUNTED ON SAID CUTTER FRAME INADVANCE OF SAID TRIMMER BARS AND ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE CONVEYOR ANDHAVING CUTTER SUPPORTS THEREON AND PROJECTING FORWARDLY THEREFROM, ANDCARRYING CUTTER BITS FOR CUTTING FROM THE ROOF TO THE FLOOR OF A MINE, ASEPARATE ROTARY BORING HEAD ON EACH OUTER SIDE OF SAID FIRST MENTIONEDBORING HEADS AND SPACED FORWARDLY THEREFROM SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCES INADVANCE OF THE CUTTING PATHS OF THE CUTTER BITS CARRIED BY SAID FIRSTMENTIONED BORING HEADS AND INCLUDING A SHAFT HAV-